Feds Pressure Ex-Enron Managers

The Washington Post reports that US federal investigators are now exerting pressure on former Enron managers to talk as they build a case against the executives who ran the failed energy giant.

Federal investigators are following what is a well tried and tested strategy - getting those further down to talk and provide evidence that can then be used against those higher up the chain of command.

Last week prosecutors secured a gulity plea and cooperation from Lawrence Lawyer, an ex-Enron executive, who admited filing false tax returns for work he did for former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow. They will no doubt hope to use Lawyer's knowledge to exert pressure on Fastow, who himself may be able to cop a plea bargain and provide evidence that may be used against former Enron chief executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling.

The Enron saga will run and run as investigators and prosecutors work patiently together to build cases against those who they suspect of wrongdoing. Unfortunately for those who ran Enron, US officials are determined to make an example of anyone who was operating on the wrong side of the law and individuals will be pursued for as long as it takes to bring them to justice.